Center for Career and Professional Development

Creating and Leveraging your LinkedIn Profile

LinkedIn is the world's largest professional network, with over 300 million members
and growing rapidly, making it one of the most beneficial resources available to college
students and working professionals alike. Its user-friendly format allows you to showcase
who you are professionally and build your professional network by connecting with
trusted contacts.

To begin, we recommend creating a LinkedIn profile that resembles an online virtual
resume. Use your profile to post information about your current and previous experiences
just like you would with your resume, paying particular attention to including key
words throughout all aspects of your profile. LinkedIn allows you to list any and
all skills you possess that may make you marketable to employers. It also allows you
to specify the degree or level of proficiency with that skill.

As a professional networking platform, LinkedIn is a powerful tool for maintaining
and building your professional network while keeping it separate from your personal
life. It is a great way to organize and manage your ever-expanding network of professional
relationships, including contacts you make in college, at networking events, in an
internship or job, and throughout your career. As a member of LinkedIn you can search
for people in a variety of ways – by employer name, location, job title, etc. Through
LinkedIn you can also join groups like the Binghamton University Alumni Group and
other organizations of interest. Through these groups, you can connect and message
with other members.

One other important reason to create a LinkedIn profile is your online presence is
typically the first impression with a recruiter or business contact. Recruiters will Google
you, and you need to be in control of what they find. LinkedIn profiles typically
rank high in Google searches, and a well-developed profile yields a positive perception.

The following resources will help you understand more about LinkedIn: what it is,
why to use it, and how to use it effectively